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Air Force assistant Nick Toth brings close ties to program, football coaching staff

If Nick Toth wasn't technically already on a branch of Troy Calhoun's coaching tree, he was at least on a vine that had weaved its way through it.

Now, Toth is officially part of the tree.

Air Force brought Toth aboard as an "assistant coach," not assigning him a specific spot just yet. He replaces Maj. Dylan Newman, who served as the senior military representative and a defensive assistant before moving on to a new military assignment.

Toth's connections to Air Force's football staff are deep. He comes most recently from Fresno State, where he coached under former Falcons player and assistant Tim DeRuyter, who was Calhoun's first defensive coordinator when he took over in 2007.

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Toth spent five years at Fresno State, the first four as defensive coordinator and this past year with inside linebackers.

DeRuyter brought Toth with him to Fresno State after the two worked together for two years at Texas A&M, where DeRuyter was the defensive coordinator and Toth worked with outside linebackers and as special teams coordinator.

But Toth's connections to Air Force has another layer. He played at Ohio from 1994-99 as a defensive back. Calhoun was on Ohio's staff from 1995-2000. Air Force offensive line coach Steed Lobotzke and defensive coordinator Steve Russ also spent time on the Bobcats staff, which was helmed by former Falcons assistant Jim Grobe.

Air Force officially announced Toth as part of the staff on its website Monday, but he has worked with the team through spring practice.

Toth will serve as Air Force's 14th assistant coach. The Falcons, as a service academy, are allowed four more assistants than the 10 permitted most universities. The difference is allowed, in part, because of the national recruiting demands on the program.

With Newman's departure, only assistant offensive line coach Maj. Ross Weaver remains an active duty military member on the Air Force staff.

A native of Cleveland, Toth has also spent time as an assistant at Elon, Dakota State, Mercyhurst (Pa.) and Ashland (Ohio). He was a graduate assistant at Ohio and later returned for a season as an assistant.